Calls for extra safety measures on shortcut road

The council says the have been no accidents since extra markings were put in place

Additional safety measures should be introduced on a rural road which is facing "a perfect storm" of issues, a councillor has said.

Dominic McDonough said Foxcover Road, which runs near the A19 outside Herrington, Sunderland, was being used as shortcut and had seen a number of accidents, including cars crashing into the garden of a property at the end of the road "about three times".

"As far as I'm concerned, it's only a matter of time until we do see a fatality unfortunately ," the Conservative councillor said.

Labour-run Sunderland City Council said extra warning signs and road markings were put in place last year and no accidents had been recorded since.

However, McDonough said speed bumps or a lower speed limit should also be implemented.

"I'm really worried that someone's going to get hurt," he said.

"We've had incidents where people have crashed into people's gardens and it is only luck so far that we haven't had anyone killed."

He said the road was facing a "perfect storm of issues", including flytipping and off road bikes travelling along it at high speed.

"It would save lives and hopefully some of my residents would not wake up with cars in their garden," he said of the requested additional measures.

Cabinet Member for the Environment, Transport and Net Zero Lindsey Leonard said two accidents were recorded on the road in 2023 - the only ones over a five-year period.

The Labour councillor said this had resulted in extra signage and markings on the road being added in 2024.

"Since these measures have been introduced, I am pleased to report there have been no further accidents although as a matter of course this location will be monitored alongside all of the city's roads," she said.